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Data: Fair

Cyclomethicone

Other Concerns

Enhanced skin absorption, Use restrictions (high), Endocrine disruption (moderate), Persistence and bioaccumulation (high), Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (moderate), and Ecotoxicology (low)

SYNONYMS

● CYCLOMETHICONE
● CYCLOPENTASILOXANE, DECAMETHYL

Unacceptable

Unacceptable: EWG VERIFIED products cannot contain this ingredient


Cyclomethicone is a silicon-based cyclic compound; may be associated with environmental toxicity.

Common concerns

See how this product scores for common concerns.

  • LOW
    Cancer
  • LOW
    Allergies & Immunotoxicity
  • MODERATE
    Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity
  • HIGH
    Use Restrictions

Ingredient concerns

  • CONCERNS
  • DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

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foundation39 products
hair treatment/serum19 products
facial moisturizer/treatment16 products
moisturizer15 products
bronzer/highlighter15 products
antiperspirant/deodorant14 products
lipstick11 products
serums & essences10 products
conditioner10 products
CC cream9 products
daily use with SPF9 products
hair styling aide7 products
recreational sunscreen7 products
brow liner6 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)6 products
shampoo6 products
mask5 products
nail treatment5 products
hand cream4 products
blush3 products
styling gel/lotion3 products
eye liner3 products
mascara3 products
after shave3 products
around-eye cream3 products
eye shadow3 products
skin fading/lightener2 products
facial cleanser2 products
2 products
shaving cream2 products
tanning oil1 products
baby sunscreen1 products
diaper cream1 products
lip balm1 products
makeup primer1 products
styling mousse/foam1 products
sunless tanning1 products
other eye makeup1 products
baby lotion1 products
shaving cream (men's)1 products
hair spray1 products

Enhanced skin absorption

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Penetration enhancerOpen scientific literature

Persistence and bioaccumulation

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Persistent, bioaccumulative in wildlife and humansOpen scientific literature
Persistent or bioaccumulative and moderate to high toxicity concern in humansEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List
Persistent, bioaccumulative in wildlifeCanada PBTs - Accelerated Reduction/Elimination of Toxics (ARET)
Not suspected to be bioaccumulativeEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

Use restrictions

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Violation of government restrictions - Banned or found unsafe for use in cosmeticsOpen scientific literature

Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Classified as a high human health priorityOpen scientific literature
Classified as expected to be toxic or harmfulEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List
Classified as medium human health priorityEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List
Limited evidence of any toxicityOpen scientific literature

Endocrine disruption

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Human any disruptor - strong evidenceOpen scientific literature
One or more animal studies show endocrine disruption at moderate dosesOpen scientific literature
One or more studies show weak endocrine disruptionOpen scientific literature

Developmental/reproductive toxicity

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Limited evidence of any toxicityOpen scientific literature
Limited evidence of any toxicityOpen scientific literature
One or more animal studies show any effects at moderate dosesOpen scientific literature

Ecotoxicology

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Suspected to be an environmental toxin and be persistent or bioaccumulativeOpen scientific literature
Suspected to be an environmental toxinEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

Data gaps

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Risk assessment method deficiencies and data gaps - Maximum reported "as used" concentration is basis of safety assessment by industry safety panel (Cosmetic Ingredient Review, CIR) - implicit safe concentration limit in productCosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments
103 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemicalNLM PubMed

Informational

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - anyCosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments
  • Open scientific/peer reviewed literature
  • EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.
  • EC (Environment Canada). 1994. Accelerated Reduction/Elimination of Toxics (ARET). ARET substance list of persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic chemicals.
  • CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review). 2006. CIR Compendium, containing abstracts, discussions, and conclusions of CIR cosmetic ingredient safety assessments. Washington DC.
  • NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2012. PubMed online scientific bibliography data. http://www.pubmed.gov.

Understanding scores

Cosmetics and personal care products are not required to be tested for safety before being allowed on the market. The Skin Deep® scoring system was designed to help the public understand whether a product is safe to use or whether it contains ingredients of concern.

Every product and ingredient in Skin Deep gets a two-part score – one for hazard and one for data availability. The safest products score well by both measures, with a low hazard rating and a fair or better data availability rating.

HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES

Hazard score

The Skin Deep ingredient hazard score, from 1 to 10, reflects known and suspected hazards linked to the ingredients. The EWG VERIFIED® mark means a product meets EWG’s strictest criteria for transparency and health.

Score legend

Data availability

The Skin Deep data availability rating reflects the number of scientific studies about the product or ingredient in the published scientific literature.

NONE LIMITED FAIR GOOD ROBUST
Low Availability
Moderate Availability
High Availability

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